Faces in the Crowd: Helping those who need it most

FACES IN THE CROWD

FLORI MEEKS, CHRONICLE CORRESPONDENT

Published
6:30 am CST, Monday, December 7, 2009

READY TO HELP: Vimal Kothari, owner of Systel Inc., in Sugar Land, serves on the board of the Lighthouse of Houston. The Lighthouse of Houston offers education and service to help blind and visually impaired people live independently. less

READY TO HELP: Vimal Kothari, owner of Systel Inc., in Sugar Land, serves on the board of the Lighthouse of Houston. The Lighthouse of Houston offers education and service to help blind and visually impaired ... more

Photo: R. Clayton McKee, For The Chronicle

Photo: R. Clayton McKee, For The Chronicle

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READY TO HELP: Vimal Kothari, owner of Systel Inc., in Sugar Land, serves on the board of the Lighthouse of Houston. The Lighthouse of Houston offers education and service to help blind and visually impaired people live independently. less

READY TO HELP: Vimal Kothari, owner of Systel Inc., in Sugar Land, serves on the board of the Lighthouse of Houston. The Lighthouse of Houston offers education and service to help blind and visually impaired ... more

Photo: R. Clayton McKee, For The Chronicle

Faces in the Crowd: Helping those who need it most

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Vimal Kothari would never say being an entrepreneur is easy. But he wasn't looking for a simple path when he established industrial computer company Systel Inc. 21 years ago.

The Sugar Land-based business provides computers and display systems for military clients and others that need equipment rugged enough to survive less than hospitable conditions.

“It's been a challenging journey, but it's fun,” the 56-year-old Memorial resident said.

Now Kothari is hoping to share the lessons he's learned while growing Systel. Recently, he became a board member with The Lighthouse of Houston.

The nonprofit education and service center strives to help blind and visually impaired people live independently. It provides job opportunities for its clients at its manufacturing unit and through contracts for switchboard and mailroom services.

“Vimal Kothari is familiar with business and mechanical operations, so he's able to provide advice and counsel to us that's invaluable,” said Gibson DuTerroil, president of The Lighthouse of Houston.

“This is really a premier organization,” Kothari said. “I'm happy I can bring some of my experience to them.”

Kothari moved to Houston from India in 1979 with his wife, Hansa Kothari, to be an engineering student at University of Houston.

After graduation he took design-related work, but starting his own company was an early goal. “I guess it was something inside me,” he said. “My parents started a business years ago. It's something that gnaws at you.”

Initially, Kothari provided consulting services, but around 1993 he made the switch to manufacturing industrial computers. “We are a niche player,” Kothari said. “These are mission critical computers. The conditions are not conducive for laptops.”

Since launching the business, Kothari has enjoyed the strategic challenges that come with his job. “How you meet those challenges is what defines you,” he said. “I strongly believe in that.”

In addition to his roles with his company and with The Lighthouse of Houston, Kothari runs a nonprofit organization that strives to provide free healthcare and educational services in India. Its name, the Prema Foundation, is based on a Sanskrit word for love.

Kothari and Hansa are the parents of three: Aneesh, Nishi and Monisha.